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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. E. WRIGHT.

STOCK GAR.

No. 455,697. Patented July 7,1891.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. E. WRIGHT. STOCK GAR.'

No. 455.697. Patented July '7, 1391.

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UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE.

JUDSON E. IVRIGHT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNCR OF ONE-HALF TO WM. B.MOORE, OF SAME PLACE.

STOCK-CAR;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,697, dated July 7,1891. Application illedpSeptmbei 28, 1889. Serial No. 325,448. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JUDSON E. \VRIGHT, of

the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have f invented certain newand useful Improvements in Stock-Cars, which are fully described in thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to cars designed for carrying cattle and horses;and it consists,

substantially, of a Vpartition (constructed of rope or other iiexiblematerial) at its upper end attached to and adapted to be wound on andunwound from a roller extending trans- Versely across the car near thetop and at its; lower end attached to a cross-piece or timber formingthe bottom of the partition, in combination with a rope, cord, or chainsecured to the-crosslpiece forming the bottom of the tlexible partitionand extending therefrom downward and around rotatable rollers or drumsplaced near the platform of the car, preferably underneath suchplatform, and from thence upward and to the roller to which the upperend of the flexible partition is attached and there secured in suchmanner that when the roller is turned so that the flexible partition isunwound the rope, cord, or chain is wound upon such roller, and when thefle`xible partition is 'wholly unwoundfrom the roller further continuousturning of theroller will continue to wind the rope, cord, or chainthereon, thus continuing to draw the crosspiece forming the bottom ofthe iiexible partition downward, and will also rewind the iexiblepartition on the roller, thereby draw- 'ing such flexible partitiontaut, and means i for holding the flexible partition in its tautposition, as by a dog intermeshing with a ratchet-wheel secured on theshaft of the roller .or on a shaft geared thereto by sprocketwheels andchain or other equivalent mechanisin.

In the construction embodying my invention herein described, andillustrated by the drawings, there are a series of flexible partitionsattached, respectively, to a series of rollers extending transverselyacross the car, such car being thereby divided, when the flexiblepartitions are down, into stalls adapt l ed to hold a single animal. Therollers in the upper part of the car are provided near one or both theirends with suitable sprocketwheels, over which link-belt chains extendeddown and around similar sprocket-wheels on loose rollers beneath the carare made to work. These rollers beneath the car are provided withcrank-shafts, and are so arranged that when turned in one direction therope or flexible partition will be rolled upon the rollers in the upperpart of the car, and the cross-piece to which the ropes are secured, andwhich forms the lower part of the partition, will be raised up out ofthe way of the stock in the carin loading or unloading. A rope or cordis firmly secured atone end to the roller on the upper part of the carand is made to extend down and pass around rollers underneath the car,and then secured to the cross-piece forming the lower part of thepartition. As the flexible partition is unrolled from the upper rollerthis rope is wound thereon. Then the flexible partition is whollyunrolled, further Vt-urning of the roller rewinds it thereon, and

as the rope is also being wound on the upper roller the upper part ofthe iiexible partition is drawn upward and the lower part by the ropeattached to the cross-bar thereof the partition is drawn taut, thesprocket Wheels being secured from turning backward. By this means therope or flexible partition isalwayskept taut.Bylooseningthesprocket-wheels and turning the crank on the rollersbeneath the car back the rope partitions are carried back to theiroriginal position.

The object of my invention is to provide a stock-car with partitionswhich can be readily raised out of the way of the stock when the car isbeing loaded or unloaded, and which, as soon as the stock is in the car,can be slid down and the car divided into separate stalls for eachcreature, said partitions being so constructed of flexible material asto provide ayielding support for the stock and protection against-injuryfrom jars and the jarring and from being trampled upon in case they getdown.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side View of a section of astock-car equipped and pushing of one creature against the other TOOwithiny invention. Fig 2 represents'a crosssection on the line V V,showing one of the partitions with the mechanism for operating the same.Fig. 3 represents a cross-section on the line W W, also showing one ofthe partitions and the mechanism for raising the cardoor. Fig. 4 isaView of a section of the car on the line X X, showing the link-beltchain Working vover the sprocket-wheels on the ends of the rollers C;also the ratchet-wheel J with the catch e. Fig. 5 is a view of a sectionof the car on the line Z Z, showing the rope secured at one end to therollers C and at the other end to the cross-partition D and passing downover the loose roller. Fig. 6 is a View on the line y y, showing theratchetwheel'J, with the catch e, and also the end of the rope F', withthe snap s thereon.

Similar letters represent like parts in the several figures.

A is a stock-car.

C C are rollers extending transversely across the car near the top,which are made to turn in the bearingsB B on the sides of the car.

D D are cross-pieces forming the lower part of the partitions.

F F Fare ropes placed atshortintervals apart and secured at one end tothe cross-pieces D D and at the other to the rollers C C. These ropesare made to form iiexible partitions, by

means of which the car is divided into sepa# rate stalls, and 'are madeof just sufficient length to extend from the rollers C C to thecross-pieces D D when said cross-pieces rest upon the iioor of the car.F F are similar ropes, which are also secured one at either end of saidcross-partitions D D, and which extend down through openings in thebottom of the car and around the loose rollers I I, underneath the car,and thence up to the rollers C C, to which they are fastened.

H H are sprocket-wheels secured to either end of the rollers C C and tothe loose rollers I I, and around which the link-belt chains c c aremade to work.

.I J are' ratchet-wheels, also secured to the loose rollers I I andprovided with-the dropc'atches c e.

G is the car-door, which is in two sections and is made to slide up bymechanism similar to that used for'operating the partitions. Thismechanism consists of the two loose rollers C C', working on suitablebearings, one in the upper part of the car above vthe door and oneunderneath the car below the door. Il I-I are sprocketwheels attached tothe ends of said loose rollers, over which the `link-belt cis made towork, and F F are ropes, and d d eyebolts in the lower section of thecar-door, to which one end of said ropes are secured, their other endsbeing secured to the 'rollers C C.

The method of raising and lowering the partitions is as follows: Theropes having been secured 1o the rollers C C and the crosspieces D D inthe manner stated, and adjustcd so that the bottoms of said cross-piecesrestupon the oor of the car, with the rope taut, the crank K is turnedto the left, thus rotating the roller I, and also by means of thelink-belt c the roller C. As the latter roller turns, the ropes FF arewound upon it and the cross-pieces D are raised from the floor of Vthecar out of the way of the stock when the car is being loaded andunloaded. By turning the crank in the opposite direction the ropesF Fare unwound from the rollers v(l C, and the ropes F F passing aroundtherollers I I, Vare at the same time wound upon said rollers C C and thecrosspieces D D carried down toward the bottom of the car by said'ropes.When the cross-pieces D D rest upon the 'licor of the car, the ropes F Fare entirely uri-wound from the rollers C C, and by continuing to turnthe crank to the right the ropes will be wound in the opposite directionon said rollers at theV same time the ropes F F are wound thereon, andin this manner the lower part of the flexible partition is held down inposition,

while theupper part is raised, until the partition is held taut. Thecatch e drops into the ratchet-wheel J as the crank is turned to theright and prevents the roller from turning back, and thus the flexiblepartition is maintained taut. When it is desired to raise the partition,the catch is slid to one side of of the ratchet-Wheel.

The operation of opening and closing the car-door by my device is asfollows: The door being closed, the crank K is placed on the crank-shaftof the roller C', carrying the sprocket-wheel II, and turned to theright. This rotates the rollers G C and raises the lower section G ofthe-door, which slides in- IOO side the upper section G, until a cleatnear p the lower endis brought in contact with the lower cleat of saidsection G, and carries it also up toward the top of the car. The door islowered by turning the crank in the opposite direction.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, vand desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isfl. In a stock-car, a flexible partitionadapted to be Wound over a roller, such flexible partition having across-piece forming the lower end thereof, in combination with a rolleradapted to have such flexible partition wound upon it, extendingtransversely across the car near the top thereof, sprocket-Wheelsrigidly secured to such roller at each end thereof, sprocket-wheelsunderneath the car on each side thereof, and sprocket-chains extendingove-r such sprocket-wheels, whereby rotation of the sprocket-wheelsunderneath the car will rotate the roller, a loose pulley underneath thecar on each side thereof, and a cord extending from each end of thecross-piece forming the lower end of the flexible partition around thepulleys underneath the car and from thence to the roller near the top ofthe car and secured thereto, whereby when the flexi IIO ble partition iscompletely unwound from the upper roller by the turning in a givendirection of the lower sprocket-wheels and such turning is continued themovement of the upper roller is also continued and the flexiblepartition partially rewound upon such roller .transversely across thecar near the top th ereof, a series of rollers u ndern eath the fi rst-named series and near the platform of the car, and a series of flexiblepartitions having, respectively, a cross-piece secured thereto, formingthe lower edge thereof, each of such fiexible partitions attached at itsupper end to one of the series of rollers near the top ofk the car andadapted to be wound on and unwound from such roller, in combination witha series of flexible connections secured to and extending fromV thecross-pieces formingv the lower edge of the flexible partitions,respectively, downward around the rollers underneath such cross-piecesand from thence upward and secured to the roller thereover near the topof the car in. such manner that when any one of the series of rollersnear the top of the car is turned so that the flexible partition thereonis unwound therefrom the flexible connections are wound upon such rollerand when the flexible partition is wholly unwound from the rollerfurther continuous turning of the roller will continue to Wind theiiexible connections thereon and will also rewind the flexible partitionon such roller, and a series of dogs interineshing, respectively, with aseries ot' ratchet-wheels, each of such ratchet-wheels secured to therollers underneath thecrosspieces, and such rollers geared as bysprocket- Wheels and a chain to aroller of the series near the top ofthe car, whereby when the flexible partition on any one of the series ofrollers has-been unwound and drawn taut it will be maintained in itstaut position by the dog and ratchet-wheel geared yto the rollerthereof, substantially as described.

J UDSON E. WRIGHT.` 'v Vitnesses:

CHARLES F. WHITE, VNAPOLEON BARSALOUX.

